Templet and operating means therefor for the manufacture of cuffs



Jail. 3,r 1939. L 1 MCDONALD- l2,142,476

TEMPLBT AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR FOR TH MANUFAGTURE OF CUFFS Original Filed June 25, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 3, 1939. J. 1. MCDONALD 2,142,476

TEMPLET AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF'CUFES Original Filed June 23, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 {""qw'p Jan. 3, 1939. J. l. MCDONALD 2,142,476

TEMPLET AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR FOR THE MANUFACTURE 'OF CUFFS original Filed June 23, 1934 5 sheets-sheet s Il 'III Illl llllll lIIIIl Il II Il ll Il Il Il |||I "Il II ll "Illlll Il Illl Il Il Il Illl IIIIIHI Il IIIHI Il lIII ll ll Il Il Il Il Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES TElVIPLET AND OPERATING MEANS THERE- FOR FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CUFFS John I. McDonald, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Progress Specialty Company, St. Joseph, Mo.

Application June 23, 1934, Serial No. 732,130 Renewed May 28, 1938 1 Claim.

This invention relates to templets and operating means therefor for the manufacture of cuffs and its object is to provide certain improvements on the templets and operating means therefor set forth in my Patents No. 688,961, dated December 17, 1901, and No. 1,251,677, dated January 1, 1918.

The present improvements relate, first, to the position of the row of teeth or rack on the templet, second, to the means for guiding and turning the templet; third, to the means for feeding or shifting the templet; fourth, to the combination of the teeth or rack with the templet feeding or shifting means; fifth, t certain other improved features and combinations, hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the templet, its feeding means, and cutter or knife blade operating means and so much of a sewing machine as will illustrate the use of the present improvements, certain parts being broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof;

Figs. 3, 4, 5 are detail plan views, respectively showing the position of the templet at approximately the commencement, intermediate, and concluding positions of its travel during which stitching of the cuff-plies held by the templet is accomplished, certain parts being in dotted lines and other parts omitted;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan View of the templet when closed;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the templet, when open, showing the inner faces thereof;

Fig. 8 is a side View of the templet, when closed;

Fig. 9 is a cross-section on line 9 9, Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a detail section on line IB-I 0, Fig. 6; and

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view, brok-en away,

- disclosing the means for operating the templet.

The present improvements have for their object to overcome defects in the templet, feeding mechanism, and the operation thereof, as proposed by the constructions disclosed in my Patents Nos. 688,961 and 1,251,677.

In the templets of the aforesaid patents the teeth of the rack are cut into the under-surface of the frame and consequently in operation travel in immediate contact with the plate or table of the sewing machine. These teeth are of sharpangled ratchet form and under the pressure necessarily exerted by the presser-foot of the sewing machine in order to keep the templet firmly closed on the cloth plies contained therein and to maintain contact with the driving pawl beneath, considerable friction accompanies the movement, resulting in uneven progress, especially around the turns, and in wear on the parts. In principle, the movement effected in my earlier construction is analogous to that of saw-teeth passing over the parts under the templet. The result becomes evident in skipped stitches in the sewing and makes necessary close attention from, and frequent assistance by, the operator.

In the present improvements, the teeth in the templet are cut in the inner or vertical edge of the lower frame, the under-surface thereof is left smooth, and not only is the movement made uniform by driving the templet by a gear-pinion meshing with the rack, but the energy required to propel the templet remains constant throughout its progress, resulting in higher speed, better stitching, smoother progress, and in connection with the improved guides, complete automatic control of movement.

This arrangement prevents any disconnection of the feeding means for the templet. The presser-foot of the sewing machine adequately holds down the templet and yet need not exert considerable pressure on the templet in order to prevent disengagement of the pinion and rack.

The pinion is turned in step-by-step fashion by a ratchet wheel connected thereto, which is operated by a reciprocatory feed bar carrying a pawl that engages a tooth on said ratchet wheel and turns the wheel and pinion on each advance movement of the bar, the pawl idling on the pinion on the retrograde movement of the bar. The bar is operated by a rock-shaft which is rocked by a cam on a shaft of the sewing machine driving means.

The knife-blade operating mechanism which trims the stitched edges of the cuff-plies is intermittently operated to effect trimmed by a rockshaft which is periodically rocked by a cam on a shaft of the sewing machine driving means. This rock-shaft, according to my present improvements, is reversely rotated or snapped back, when ing and its completion.

In that respect, the invention contemplates the use of the straight bar having the needle hole as proposed by Patent No. 688,961, in combination with arc-shaped or curved guides, which cooperate with the straight and curved parts of the frame of the templet according to the position thereof, insuring that the templet carry out the prescribed and predetermined path of travel necessary to stitching the plies of cloth held thereby. These improvements cause the templet to follow its path of travel Without deviation, regardless of the speed of operation.

The curved parts on the machine which cooperate with the curved parts of the templet may assume the form shown, that of curved bars or strips, or, equivalent guiding means for the templet may be provided.

The feeding pinion is so positioned in relation to the straight bar having the needle hole that the frame of the templet is jointly held in position during its travel by said bar and pinion, insuring accuracy of travel of the templet, with resultant correctness of the line of stitching and trimming.

The templet comprises two similar frames I, 2, having straight ends and sides and rounded corners and hinged together at 3.

A gear rack 4 is provided on the inner edge of frame I, the teeth of which are disposed vertically when the templet is in use on the machine.

The frames have at plates 5, 6 secured thereto. Struck-up gage lips 'I on one plate are adapted to enter slots 8 in the other plate. These lips are adapted to engage the inner edge of the plies of cloth 9 (Fig. 1) carried between the plates 5, 6 said plies being held by penetrating points or prongs I0 on one frame which enter holes II in the other frame (Fig. 7).

The bed of a sewing machine is shown at I2, the needle appears at I3, and the presser foot at I4.

The table I5 which is connected to the bed I2, serves as a support for the templet, as shown in Fig. 1, the presser foot I4 then engaging the frame 2 of the templet to hold it down while the templet is fed, as the work of stitching and trimming the plies 9 progresses.

Depending from the bed I2 is a hanger I6 to which is secured a bracket I'I (Figs. 1, 2, 3). Journaled in a bearing provided on said bracket is avertical shaft I8 whose upper part is journaled at I9 in table I5. Shaft I8 carries a ratchet wheel 20 at its lower part and a pinion 2I at its upper end.

The pinion 2I is adapted to mesh with rack 4 on the templet when the latter is placed on the table I5 and the end of frame I entered between the straight bar 22 and said pinion, as shown in Fig. 3.

When arranged, as described, operation of pinion 2I will cause feeding of the templet, in stepby-step manner, the templet advancing as shown in Fig. 4 and finally arriving in the Fig. 5 position, whereupon the templet may be removed.

During the feed of the templet, the needle I3 has stitched the cuff and the raw edges of the cuff-plies 9 have been trimmedby the knifeblade or cutter 23, Figs. 1 and 2.

The templet is fed in a straight line when either of its ends or its side is disposed between the pinion 2I and straight bar 22.

To turn the templet, as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, curved surfaces are provided on table I5 corresponding in curvature to the curved or rounded corners of the templet. As shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, these surfaces are provided by curved strips 24, 25 fastened to the top surface of table I5 in any suitable manner. The curved surfaces 26 of strips 24, 25, engage the rounded inner corners 21, 28 of the frame I to effect the turning movement. In lieu of strips 24, 25 a plate with rounded corners may be fastened to the top of table I5, the rounded corners corresponding to the curved surfaces 26. In a construction of that character the pinion 2l may be disposed in countersunk relationship to the superposed plate.

The pinion 2I will remain in mesh with rack 4 under the most rapid operation to which the machine will be subjected, and this improvement overcomes the defects of the templet feed mechanism of my Patent No. 688,961.

Suitably journaled below the bed I2 is a rockshaft 29 (Fig. 1) which is operated by a cam on the sewing machine driving means. Adjustably secured to shaft 28 is an arm 30 (Fig. 11) to which is pivoted at 3I a pusher-bar 32 Whose other end is loosely mounted in a slotted stirrup or hanger 33. The bar 32 carries a springy pawl 34 whose free end is adapted to engage a tooth of ratchet wheel 20 on the advance movement of pusher-bar 32 for the purpose of turning shaft I8 but on the retrogrademovement of the bar 32 the inherent springiness of said pawl enables it to slip back- Wardly over the ratchet wheel Without turning the shaft I8. The to-and-fro movements of the bar 32 cause a step-by-step turning of shaft I8 and advance of the templet in like manner.

The cutter or knife-blade 23 is carried by a shaft 35 mounted in suitable bearings 36 and carrying a rock arm 31 which is operated by a cam 38 on a shaft 39 mounted in bearings under the bed I 2 and operated by a cam from the drive shaft of the sewing machine. A spring 40 coiled around shaft 39 and connected at its respective ends to the shaft and to the frame of the machine, turns the shaft 39 after the cutter 23 has been operated by the parts 3l, 38 thereby restoring the cutter to its raised position.

In lieu of the shaft 35, the operating means for the cutter 23 may be compactly arranged within a small housing disposed near the cutter, thus leaving the bed I2 free of obstruction.

The cutter 23 co-operates with the bar 22 to effect a shear-cut of the raw edges of the cloth, V

as in Patent No. 688,961.

Operation: The closed templet, provided with the plies of cloth for making a cuff, is laid flatwise on table I5 and the rack 4 engaged with pinion 2|, as shown in Fig. 3. The raw edges of the cloth then overlie the bar 22, as in Fig. 1.

The presser foot I4 is then let down onto the templet and the work of stitching the cuff proceeded with. The pinion feeds the templet as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5, turning being effected by the curved surfaces 26. The stitched edges of the plies are trimmed by the cutter 23.

When the stitching operation is completed, the templet is removed and another templet, or the same one, provided with another set of cloth plies, is used and the foregoing operations are repeated.

What I claim is:

In a sewing machine, feeding means for a Workcarrier, comprising a feed pinion for operating the Work-carrier, a ratchet Wheel for turning the feed pinion, a reciprocatory pusher-bar, a pawl carried by the pusher-bar and intermittently engageable with the ratchet Wheel to turn the pinion step-by-step, and means for reciprocating the pusher-bar.

Join: I. McDoNALD. 

